This role coordinates the projects and students for the BY Plus program. The BY Plus program provides construction work experience to young adults with the goal of helping them begin a career in construction or a construction-related field. The Project Coordinator is responsible for the planning and logistics related to weekly work experience projects in conjunction with other members of the NeighborLink team. The Project Coordinator will be present at each work experience pr

We are so honored to be among the finalists for the Impact 100 Change-Maker grant! Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis , a charitable women’s giving circle, announced during their “Big Reveal” virtual event on May 12, 2021 that NeighborLink Indianapolis Foundation is one of five Central Indiana nonprofit organizations that will compete for a $100,000 high-impact grant on June 29, 2021. In lieu of the traditional awards celebration, the Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis 2021 Change

What do a credit union and a home improvement non-profit have in common? The goal of helping their local community! Indianapolis-based Elements Financial is proud to support NeighborLink Indianapolis through multiple grants and corporate contributions, involvement in our annual all-employee volunteer day, and employee representation on the NeighborLink board. Elements employee and NeighborLink board member Jake Engel explains, “When we first met with a representative of Nei

“The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secure for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” —Jane Addams Jane Addams, a founder of the field of social work and Hull House in Chicago, a pioneer and relentless warrior for social justice, exemplifies the impact that service to others can have on our own mental health. As a young woman, following the death of her father in the summer of 1881, Addams experienced depression and suffered fr

Imagine being eighteen years old, freshly graduated from high school and being handed the keys to your own home. The elation! The freedom! Ms. Toliver was that eighteen year old 43 years ago. It had been her grandparents home originally. Unfortunately, they passed at an early age and the home was left vacant for a little while. Toliver’s father maintained the yard and kept up the house to keep it in good order, but no one lived there until Toliver came of age. At that point,

My husband and I purchased our first (and current) home in 2008. It was a foreclosure and certainly looked daunting to any knowledgeable person we had come to look at it. That was our bliss. We weren’t knowledgeable, we were enthusiastic optimists who loved old homes. Did I mention this home was old? Our home is 1920s old. Upon receiving the keys to our new space, we walked into the foyer—with its cracks in the plaster, broken toilet in the nearby half bath and deafeningly em

The COVID Recovery Initiative (CRI) through NeighborLink Indianapolis Foundation, (NeighborLink), has been created for the purpose of increasing our capacity to not only address our current backlog of 50 waiting indoor home repair requests from 2020, but to also prepare for the additional requests that will quickly pour in as soon as we resume accepting indoor requests. NeighborLink’s mission is simple, to provide home repairs at no cost to homeowners in need who are seniors

Saturday, March 13, 2021 we had our first group project of 2021 and wow what a project! The Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club chose to help NeighborLink Indianapolis with their 3rd annual day of service. That’s not to say they don’t do community service at other times in the year, this group is very active in the community and participates regularly in volunteer projects. This group of retired military, firefighters, police officers and other service-minded professions came f

Saturday, February 27, 2021 was a big day for us! We joined our board member, Phil Kirk, for our first Dessert & Dialogue! Phil, who has served on our board for two years now, brought together a collection of friends and coworkers for a friendly dialogue over some big topics. We provided the desserts and gladly leapt into the dialogue. The evening was kicked off with introductions and thoughts around the advance question, given with their dessert delivery and in the event inv

We began because Dave Withey, our executive director, had been helping his aging friends and family with small home repairs for a number of

NeighborLink Indianapolis' role in this exciting program is providing the opportunities for BY Plus students in training

It isn’t uncommon for us to hear the question, “why do home repair for free when that person should just move?” The question isn’t a negative one, per se, but one that speaks from more economic privilege than the inquisitor may realize. For many who do not experience poverty, it can seem like a foreign concept, especially when it is far too easy to keep tunnel vision for your own space and means. However, when we look at the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau survey, it indicates approx

This is a first for us at NeighborLink Indianapolis! Due to our size, previous 100% volunteer staff, and very much start-up style for many years, our organization had never put together an official Report. Sure, we filed our 990s and of course met all reporting needs to help our operations be transparent to our donors. We’d even been rated a top nonprofit by GreatNonProfits.com . We hadn’t had the ability to put together a good visual of our prior year’s progress. January of

Surveys show aging in place is the preference of most people, but the options for doing so vary greatly. A recent study shows that even those with middle-incomes will not have the resources to maintain their homes and access services needed to remain in them. Income inequalities persist throughout the life span, however, which make aging in place much more challenging for those with fewer resources. According to the 2016 report of Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvar

“Home sweet home.” “Home is where the heart is.” Common sayings that one mentions without giving it a second thought. For many aging Americans however, the thought of not being able to live at home as they get older is a real possibility. Whether that is due to financial strain and lack of resources, or the condition and accessibility of their home not meeting their needs as they age, many elderly individuals find themselves forced out of their home and into assisted living

It was a brisk autumn afternoon. We sat on the patio of Claudette’s Crown Hill bungalow to keep a safe distance. She brought out a space heater and offered Tom Hawkins, Director of Operations , and I blankets to keep us warm. Ms. Claudette carries herself in the manner of someone who has lived a long, fruitful life. When I first heard about NeighborLink’s long-time relationship with Claudette, a relationship that ended up saving the organization, I wanted to sit down with her

Whew! 2020 has been a tough year! Here we are though, we're in the final stretch of the year and can look back at what has been accomplished despite a global pandemic, masks as a new normal, social distancing, and stay at home orders. Quite frankly, we were a little worried about how this year would shape up when spring was in full force. Our clients are among the most vulnerable and at the same time, providing them home repairs to allow them safety in their own home was even

Sometimes searching for that perfect gift can be daunting. In some cases, the idea of just adding more stuff to someone's already full house puts a damper on the holiday tradition. We've put together a list of ways you can support NeighborLink Indianapolis, that likely, fits in with other organizations as well. Just like small businesses, small nonprofits can use all the help we can get. 1. Give a gift of gratitude For the person who has it all, donate to an organization in h

If you've been a donor, supporter, volunteer or just kept an eye on NeighborLink Indianapolis, you know we've never really been good about launching ahead with donations or asks. In fact, we've never really done a fundraising campaign. To that point though, we've never blazed forth in a year where we wore masks, kept six feet apart, or avoided offering a hug to a grateful and happy homeowner. It's a year for new things. We are excited to be launching a campaign to help kickst

Earlier this year we had the Indiana Public Safety Foundation (IPSF) out with the IMPD Cadets. IPSF is a nonprofit that helps support the 3200 women and men who serve in the public safety space in Indianapolis. One part of their relationship with IMPD is the IMPD Cadet program. This program focuses on 18 to 22 year olds who are interested in working with the IMPD. The program helps bridge the gap of interest to the age when they may apply to be a police officer. The Cadets a